Okinawa City

This is new park located behind Miyazato Junior High School. This park is big and has a lot to do for a variety of ages. The best thing about this park is the main slide area is covered so the slides don’t get too hot even in summer. The down side, for a parent, is that the ground underneath never really gets dry so your kids might get muddy if they play under the slide area. The tarzan ropes are fun but the ground underneath also gets muddy, basically making a moat, so you will get muddy if you don’t make it across to the other side. In the middle of the park there is some shaded seating, as well as drinking fountains, bathrooms, and a jogging path. There is also an open field next to the park but the junior high school next to the park uses it for condition training after school so it might be crowded, depending on the time you’re there. This is one of my new favorite parks. The only downside if there are no easy-to-climb stairs up to the second and third levels, so if your kids are small and need help getting to the top you will have to carry them while climbing up yourself.

This is one of three Takahara parks and perhaps the most hidden. The road leading to the park is narrow and the park is on the side of a hill. The main feature of the park is the cement elephant slide. The slide ends in a sand box and there are a few benches and banyan trees in the park. While we were there several people passed through the park picking up garbage, so although it’s an older park it was very clean. There is a toilet and water faucet at this park.

Note – Many of the parks in this area are mislabeled on Google Maps as “kogen” , which is another reading of the characters 高原 but everything in this area translated as “kogen” is not correct, as the proper reading in this case is “Takahara”.

Miyazato Daini is one of many neighborhood parks in the Miyazato and Misato area of Okinawa City. There is a low roller slide and swing set for young children and a regular swing set and wooden playground with two slides for bigger kids. There is an open grass field and a fenced in basketball court. The water faucets have had their handles removed but the bathrooms are working (Japanese style except for the handicap toilet). There are a few trees for shade. The most unique thing about this park is the small roller slide.

This is new park that is in the middle of the surrounding public housing (danchi) in the Ageda neighborhood of Okinawa City. There is a large banyan tree and grassy greek theatre in the middle. On one side of the park is some stretching equipment and a small slide for young children. The main playground in on the other side and it has a zoo theme with “elephant slides” and “hippo tail” climbing ropes. There is a water fountain and bathroom. The park can be accessed from the bottom or the top. There are seats surrounding the large banyan tree so you can find shade to sit in anytime of the day.

There is a nice walking path around Misato Daini Park with an open grass field and playground in the middle. There are also some small hills that are good for sliding down. The park is completely surrounded by housing so most visitors live in the area. There is a bathroom and water fountain, but no parking lot. Young children learning to ride bikes share the path with walkers.

Shirakawa is a hidden gem. In summer it is packed with kids playing in the water and trying to catch fish. Aside from the playground, there is also a basketball court and skatepark. Experience nature and enjoy the playground in one park.

Takasago is compact but fits a lot into a small space. Little kids play tag on the playground and older kids enjoy basketball. There are swings near the basketball court and an open grassy area on the far side of the park.

This is an old park that has recently got a face lift with some new playground equipment. The older area still remains, plus there is a baseball field and basketball court. There is a also a little pond where local kids try to fish.

One entrance has a giraffe and the other has a kangaroo. There is a basketball and gate ball court next to the playground. The playground is a raised, fortress style structure that is fun, but a little high for very small children. However, the cement slide is a good size for most everyone.